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HISTORY 



OF THK 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



BY PROFESSOR PACKARD, 

OF UO-\VOf)lN COLLKOE. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



From the Collections of the Maink Historical Society, 
volume 3d, now in press. 



H I S T 11 Y 



UF THE 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



BY PROFESSOR PACKARD, 

OF BOWDOIN COLLKGE. 



PORTLAND: 
BROWN TH URSTO N, P RIN TE R. 

1853. 



Digitized/by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/historyofbunkerhOOpack 






HISTORY OF THE BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



Soon after the celebration in honor of the completion of Bunker Hill 
Monument, it occurred to the writer, that a faithful record of this enterprise 
might possess value in future years, and that he would attempt the work with 
a view to the presentation of the facts here narrated. It may be due to 
others as well as himself, to declare, that no suggestion from any quarter 
prompted this effort. What he has done has been done throughout, wholly 
at his own instance. He has taken pains to obtain precise and accurate 
information, and has had access to sources of the highest authority, which ia 
a few years may be wholly beyond the reach of any who may be curious 
enough to investigate the matters here contained. 

Brunswick, Me. May, 1852. ALPHEUS S. PACKARD. 



B 



HISTORY. 



The writer proposes to give a brief history of tlie Monument 
on Bunker Hill. He thinks it desirable to record for future 
generations a true statement of the origin and progress of one 
of the most imposing monuments of modern times; of the 
sources from whence the means of erecting it were obtained ; of 
the embarrassments which impeded or interrupted the work ; 
and to secure the remembrance of those who were most eflScient 
and laborious in an enterprise so honorable to them and to our 
common country. It is thought, that hereafter it may be a 
matter of curiosity to know the facts here stated. What makes 
the subject especially interesting is, that this noble structure 
was reared by voluntary contributions, with the exception only 
of a comparatively small amount granted for the purpose by 
the Legislature of Massachusetts ; and when completed, the 
projectors and builders had no more property in it than any 
other citizens of the State. Moreover the accomplishment of 
the enterprise was owing mainly to the energy and munificence 
of a few, whose names, although in this matter they were as far 
from selfish or private aims as men can be, are not known as 
they ought to be. The statements here made have been 
obtained from the records of the Standing and Building Com- 
mittees of the Bunker Hill Association, from printed documents 
issued under the sanction of the Association, from the " History 
of the Siege of Boston," a valuable work recently published 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



by Richard Frothingham, Jr. Esq., and from private sources of 
iiadoubted authority, to which the pubUc could not have access. 
We have the authority of Hon. Edward Everett for affirming, 
that the idea of such a monument was first conceived by 
William Tudor Esq. It is due to another gentleman of well 
known public spirit and who, as will be seen, was an active 
and efficient promoter of the enterprise, to state, that in April 
1822 the following spirited paragraph appeared in the Boston 
Patriot, which is worthy of a place in this record, as being tlio 
first eftbrt to call public attention to the object. 

" FOR THE BOSTON PATRIOT. 

BUNKER HILL. 

A lot of ground, including the monument erected to the 
memory of Gen. Warren, and the remains of the ' Breast 
Work,' thrown up on the eve of the Battle fought on that spot 
on the 17 of June 1775, is advertised to be sold at auction the 
first day of May. 

As a site so memorable should not be covered with buildings, 
it is hoped, that some patriotic gentlemen of wealth in the toAvn 
of Charlestown will puchase tliis American Marathon and have 
it enclosed with a stone or iron fence, to be held sacred, as the 
spot where the defenders of the Repubhc first met the shock of 
battle " in times which tried men's souls." 

No stranger from other States visits this part of the union 
who does not wish to stand where fought the Champions of 
Liberty. Future generations will hold that blood-stained height 
in proud remembrance. There repose the ashes of the brave ; 
there was planted the Tree of Liberty. Let not the glorious 
sepulchre of our Revolutionary warriors be profaned." 

Within a day or two after this paragraph appeared, Mr. 
Tudor, having ascertained from the Editor, that the writer was 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 9 

Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn, called on him, and after referring to 
the article which had attracted his notice, consulted him on the 
measures which should be adopted to secure the land. An 
interest was soon excited in the minds of several gentlemen, 
and as the result of their conference on the expediency of 
securing the land as an area for a monument to commorate the 
great event of which it was the theatre. Dr. J. C. Warren of 
Boston purchased the land in Nov. 1822 and held it until the 
Monument Association, subsequently formed, took it from his 
hands. It is honorable to Boston and to that generation, that 
many were ready to cooperate by more than good words and 
kind wishes in Avhat was manifestly to prove an arduous and 
protracted labor. Several meetings of those interested in the 
project were held at Dr. Warren's house. A breakfast party 
of gentlemen consisting among others of Hon. Daniel Webster, 
Professor Ticknor, Dr. John C. Warren, Hon. William Sullivan, 
Hon. George Blake and William Tudor, Esq. assembled at the 
house of Col. Perkins, and then visited the battle ground, and 
consulted on the subject of a monument. It was to this occa- 
casion, it is presumed, that Mr. Webster refers in his address 
at the completion of the monument when he remarks ; that the 
first measures towards erecting the monument were adopted in 
the house of Thomas H. Perkins, Esq., where the projectors of 
the scheme assembled for the purpose. Soon after, a Circular 
dated May 10, 1823, signed by Messrs. Webster, William 
Tudor and Theodore Lyman, Jr., called the first public meeting 
of those friendly to the object, which was held at the Mer- 
chant's Exchange, when measures to obtain an act of Incorpo- 
ration were adopted. 

ORGANIZATION &c. 
The following twenty-four individuals were incorporated under 



10 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

the name of " The Bunker Hill Monument Association," " for 
the construction of a monument in Charlestown to perpetuate 
the memory of the early events of the American Revolution ;" 
Joseph Story, Jesse Putman, Daniel Webster, Edward Everett, 
Samuel D. Harris, Samuel Swett, Theodore Lyman, Jr., 
Stephen Gorham, Jr., Thomas H. Perkins, William Tudor, 
Henry A. S. Dearborn, Benjamin Gorham, Franklin Dexter, 
William Sullivan, George Ticknor, Charles R. Codman, Warr«n 
Dutton, Isaac P. Davis, Thomas Harris, Seth Knowles, Benja- 
min Welles, John C. Warren, George Blake and Francis C. 
Gray. The act bears date June 7, 1823. By a subsequent 
act, the monument, on its completion, with the land on which it 
stands and its appurtenances, was to be assigned and transferred 
to the Commonwealth, on condition, that the State shall keep 
the monument and its appurtenances in good repair forever. 

At a meeting, June 17, 1828, the Association made choice of 
Gov. Brooks for President. A by-law of the Association, 
passed at this meeting, requires a Board of thirteen Directors 
to be chosen at the annual meetings of the Corporation, who 
were to have the general control of the funds and the general 
direction of the affairs of the association. An additional by-law, 
.June 19, increased the number of this Board to twenty-five, 
and by another, passed June 1825, the Directors were made 
responsible for any expenditure beyond the amount of funds 
actually collected for the purpose of building the monument. 

WAYS AND MEANS, &c. 

It may well be supposed, that much preUminary labor, of 
which the public knew little or nothing and which was done by 
a few individuals, was required before the structure could be 
commenced. 

The first object was to awaken general interest in a project 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 11 

which was to depend for its accomplishment mainij, if not 
entirely, on private contributions. The Directors accordingly, 
July 19, 1823, were empowered to elect Honorary members of 
the Association. At the same meeting all settled clergymen of 
New England were chosen honorary members. It was also 
voted, that all persons subscribing five dollars to the object 
should thereby become members ; and that those subscribing a 
less sum than five dollars and not less than one, should have 
their names recorded in a manuscript prepared for the purpose ; 
measures, which, it would seem, addressed the principle of 
patriotism in every New England bosom and were adapted to 
make the enterprise one of general concern. A year, however, 
passed before this appeal to the public was efiectually made. 
At a meeting of the Directors, July 1824, a standing Commit- 
tee of five was constituted to exercise the powers of the Direc- 
tors in managing the afiairs of the association, composed of the 
following gentlemen ; Gen. H. A. S. Dearborn, Dr. John C. 
Warren. Hon. Edward Everett, George Blake Esq. and Samuel 
D. Harris Esq. This Committee, at their second meeting, 
August 9, took the first steps towards the vigorous prosecution 
of the enterprise in the following plan of proceedings, reported 
by Dr. Warren, for promoting the object of the association. 

" 1. That a letter explaining the object of the association be prepared and 
circulated among the members of the community able to promote its design 
by their aid or interest. 

2. That a letter be addressed to the town of Charlestown requesting 
their cooperation and aid. 

3. That a public appeal be made in the Newspapers upon the subject. 

4. That letters be addressed to the young men of Boston, Charlestown 
and Salem, to engage their interest in the cause. 

5. That Committees be appointed in the said meetings of the young men 
to procure subscriptions. 

6. That an enlarged drawing of the Plan of the Monument be exhibited 
in conspicuous public places. 



12 BVNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

7. That subscription books be opened for different sums in different 
columns or pages ; as for sums of 5, 10 and to 500, and above 500 dollars. 

8. That no effort be spared to forward the work in such a marmer, that 
the corner stone of the monument may be laid June 17, 1825." 

Mr. Everett was requested to prepare a letter according to 
the first article, and Gen. Dearborn, to address a letter to the 
town of Charlestown agreeably to the second. 

In pursuance of this general scheme a circular, subscribed 
by all the Directors, was sent to a large number of individuals 
throughout New England and the other States. Certain indi- 
viduals were particularly addressed throughout the country and 
Americans residing in London and Paris, and their patronage 
was solicited for the object. Subscription books were prepared 
for general circulation in the more considerable towns, and letters 
were sent to gentlemen in other States, who were corresponding 
members of the association, requesting them to take charge of 
procuring subscriptions in their several States. Ward commit- 
tees were appointed in Boston for the purpose of raising sub- 
scriptions. A large number of gentlemen of influence and 
distinction throughout New England were elected Associates, 
among whom were the members of the Senate and House of 
llepresentatives of Massachusetts, the Governors, Lieutenant 
Governors and Councilors of the several New England States, 
and special meetings of the Associates were recommended to be 
held in the leading towns. A Diploma with a vignette was 
prepared as a certificate of membership for such as subscribed 
the requisite sum. The clergymen of the Commonwealth were 
addressed by letter and requested to call the attention of their 
people to the object on the day of the Annual Thanksgiving. 

The Subscription Books, two hundred in number, were re- 
turned, April, 1825 ; by which it appeared, that about 2500 
individuals had subscribed sums varying from 5 to 500 dollars. 
To these were added the funds of the "Washington Benevolent 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 13 

Society, and the State Grant, March 1827, from which last the 
association received 6000 dollars. The sum total received from 
these sources was about $65,000. 

Three acres only were secured at the outset through the 
instrumentality of Dr. Warren. In consequence of difficulties 
connected with the purchase of additional land, an Act of the 
Legislature, Feb. 1825, was obtained, empowering the Associa- 
tion to take and appropriate land which might be needed, not 
exceeding five acres, with such provisions as are common in 
such Acts. As an illustration of the embarrassments from 
which even so noble and patriotic an enterprise was not exempt- 
ed, it may be stated, that the Committee of the Association and 
the Proprietors of the land had agreed upon appraisers to 
appraize the land, all the Proprietors- seeming heartily to concur 
in the wish, that the battle field should be secured by the 
Association. Each party entered into bonds, with a penalty, to 
abide by the decision of the appraisers. One of the owners, 
however, on being applied to for his deed, encouraged the 
Committee to go on and transact the business with the rest of 
the owners. After the remaining proprietors had conveyed 
their respective portions and he was applied to again for his 
deed, he deliberately paid over the forfeiture agreed upon, 
$500, and demanded $5000 for his land. The Committee 
were struck dumb ; but perceiving, that his design was to take 
advantage of the urgency of the case and to drive a hard 
bargain, and reflecting, that a contention at that time might 
delay the whole enterprise for an indefinite period, they reluct- 
antly paid the ungenerous and exorbitant exaction. The whole 
amount of land which the Association had now become possessed 
of was fifteen acres. 

LAYING OF THE CORNER STONE. 

The necessary arrangements were now made for the ceremony 
C 



14 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

of laying the Corner Stone. Nothing was omitted to make the 
occasion as impressive as possible and thus to give an impulse 
to the enterprise. The day selected for the ceremonial -was the 
fiftieth anniversary of the battle. General Lafayette, at the 
time the nation's guest, had been invited to be present, and to 
assist in the ceremony. Many survivors of the Revolution, 
some of whom shared in the danger and glory of the 17th 
June, 1775, were to participate in the scenes of the day. 
Hon. Daniel Webster was to address the assembled multitude. 
Nothing was wanting to give dignity and interest to the oc- 
casion. — Providence smiled by granting a lovely day. All 
New England was largely represented, and great numbers were 
present from the other States of the Union. A procession was 
formed at the State House^in Boston at an early hour, agreeably 
to a Programme, published in the newspapers, and marched to 
the summit of Bunker Hill in Charlestown. The van, composed 
of a large military escort in brilliant array, two hundred veter- 
ans of the Revolution in barouches, some wearing the equipments 
of their ancient and honorable service, a large body of the 
T^Iasonic Fraternity in splendid regalia, an extended line of dif- 
ferent societies with their badges and banners, and conspicuous 
among all, the honored guest of the Nation, General Lafayette, 
the streets thronged even to the house tops with a joyous multi- 
tude, all together presented a spectacle never before witnessed 
on this Continent. With appropriate solemnities the stone was 
laid in presence of the vast concourse by the Grand Master of 
the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, assisted by Hon. D. Web- 
ster, President of the Monument Association, and General 
Lafayette. The procession then moved to a spacious amphe- 
theatre on the northern declivity of the hill to listen to the 
address of Mr. Webster. The arrangements were all happily 
devised and successfully executed. The address was in the 
highest degree worthy of the eminent orator and of the great 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 15 

event which it commemorated and has become an abidincr 
portion of the literature of our country. • 

DESIGNS FOR THE MONUMENT. 

The corner stone was laid before the plan for the proposed 
monument was fully matured. An advertisement in the news- 
papers had offered a premium of one hundred dollars for the 
best design ; and in consequence of this about fifty plans and 
designs were submitted by architects and men of taste, of 
which the obelisk and column were the prevailing forms.* Gen- 
tlemen of high cultivation and taste urged a design after some 
model of classical antiquity. The first committee to whom 
the subject was entrusted consisted of Daniel Webster, Loam- 
mi Baldwin, George Ticknor, Gilbert Stewart and Washington 
AUston, and scarcely could more artistic talent and taste have 
been found in any five men who might have been selected in 
the land. Much discussion on the most appropriate form 
ensued. The Debates in the Board of Directors were distin- 
guished by great abihty and extensive learning. At a , special 
meeting, May 19, 1825, the various projects were reduced by 
vote to the two, of a column and obelisk. A new committee, 
consisting of H. A. S. Dearborn, Edward Everett, Seth 
Knowles, S. D. Harris and T. H. Perkins, were appointed to 
procure designs of both these forms with estimates. This 
Committee reported June 7 ; and after a long and animated 
discussion on the comparative merits of the two plans the 
question was decided. Of the sixteen directors present, on a 

* The distinguished artist, Horatio Greenough, recently deceased, was 
then an undergradute in Harvard College. He sent to the Committee a 
Design with an Essay, in which he advocated the obelisk with so much 
power and taste, as to excite the marked attention of the Board. The 
Design finally adopted was that of Greenough's modified by the taste and 
judgment of Col. Baldwin. 



16 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

motion to adopt the column, five voted in the affirmative and 
eleven, in the negative. The form of the obelisk was then 
adopted, as being the most simple and imposing, most in ac- 
cordance -with the republican sentiment, and most appropriate 
to the character of the event to be commemorated. The fol- 
lowing gentlemen were then appointed a Committee to report a 
design ; Loammi Baldwin, (whose opinions in favor of the obe- 
lisk had been urged with great and convincing force,) George 
Ticknor, Jacob Bigelow, Samuel Swett and Washington Allston. 
"Ihis Committee reported a design or plan drawn by Solomon 
Willard, which was adopted, July 5, 1825. It may be stated, 
that after the decision, and after the work was commenced in 
earnest, a proposal was made to substitute for the obelisk a 
large and imposing edifice in gothlc style, but the proposal was 
not entertained. 

The design of the monument having been decided, it was 
found necessary to provide a new and more massive foundation. 
The stone laid before was deposited in the centre of the new 
foundation ; and the box of deposites, which had been placed 
within- it, is now enclosed in the present corner stone at the 
North Eastern angle of the structure looking towards the point 
where the enemy landed on the morning of the battle. 

PROGRESS OF THE WORK. 

At a meeting of the Directors, Oct. 17, 1825, a Building 
Committee, consisting of Dr. J. C. Warren, Gen. H. A. S. 
Dearborn, George Blake, Amos Lawrence and William Sullivan 
Esqs., was appointed and was constituted " a Standing Commit- 
tee, with authority to exercise all the powers of the Directors in 
the management of the affairs of the Association." Their 
special duty was to commence and prosecute the building of the 
obelisk, to make the necessary contracts and to superintend the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 17 

work, subject in all things and in all respects to the control of 
the Directors. They were never to exceed the amount appro- 
priated by the Directors, and were to make a quarterly exhibit 
in writing of their proceedings to the Board of Directors. It 
should be stated, that a vote establishing such a committee was 
passed several months, before gentlemen could be fomid who 
were willing to undertake the onerous and responsible service 
which it imposed. 

The Building Committee at once made choice of Solomon 
"Willard as their architect and Superintendent, and committed 
to him the execution of the work in all its details. 

The merits of this noble spirited man deserve permanent 
record. On accepting the office, thus tendered him, he re- 
quested permission to discharge the duties of it without com- 
pensation ; a request, however, which was not granted, although 
only a nominal salary was given him of five hundred dollars a 
year. His zeal and devotion to the work knew no bounds. He 
walked more than three hundred miles to examine different 
quarries of stone, and labored incessantly and with skill and 
judgment possessed by few, with no other compensation than 
was sufficient to meet his necessary expenses. As an illustra- 
tion of the spirit of this man, it may be added, that at a 
subsequent period, the Bunker Hill Ledge, of which we shall 
soon speak; having become greatly enhanced in value, was sold 
at a considerable advance to a Company, who paid him one 
thousand dollars for his share which ho had held himself 
responsible for at the time of the first purchase. A friend 
proposed to him to lay aside that sum for a time of need ; but 
he decisively rejected the proposal with the remark : " Do you 
suppose I would soil my hands by making money out of the 
Bunker Hill Monument ?" He paid over the thousand dollars 
as a subscription to the object. Had other men, with much 
larger means, possessed the same spirit, the Monument would 



18 BUNKER HILL MONTTMENT. 

have been completed at a much earlier period, and \Yithout the 
embarrassments and delays which caused the best friends of 
the project so much mortification and discomfort. 

The Committee on the Design determined only the size of 
the obelisk, and that, not so much as a question of taste, as one 
of economy, -which they were compelled to regard strictly, on 
account of the limited amount of funds which they could safely 
calculate upon. The details, indeed the whole execution of the 
work, was confided entirely to Mr. Willard, as Architect and 
Superintendent. Mr. James S. Savage was employed as 
Builder under Mr. Willard, and on account of his superior 
skill and fidelity deserves honorable mention. To have secured 
the services of two such men was of the greatest importance to 
the success of the undertaking. 

After careful examination the Building Committee, under 
advice of Mr. Willard, purchased, Nov. 1825, four acres of 
the sienite granite of Quincy, eight miles distant from Boston, 
which had been already brought into favorable iwtice as a 
material for building. The portion then purchased was hence- 
forth called " the Bunker Hill Ledge." The labor of quarry- 
ing was commenced at once. The first rail way in the United 
States was constructed in 182G for the uses of the Monument 
Association, although under an entirely distinct organization, 
and a contract for the transportation of stone from the Ledge 
to Bunker Hill was authorized, Feb. 1827. The stone was 
conveyed by railway to the water in Quincy, thence in flat 
boats, towed by steam vessels, to the wharf in Charlestown, 
and to the summit of the Hill by teams running on an inclined 
plane. This mode of transportation, in consequence of the 
delay incident to a repeated transfer of heavy materials, and of 
the liability to accident and defacement, was subsequently 
abandoned, and the materials were conveyed by ox-teams di- 
rectly from the quarry to the Hill. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 19 

All necessary arrangements having been made, the excava- 
tion for the the new foundation, which, as has been already 
stated, was found necessary, was commenced March 1827. Dr. 
Warren having declined acting as Chairman of the Buildino- 
Committee, at the meeting of the Directors in June the Com- 
mittee was constituted as follows : Hon. Thomas H. Perkins, 
William Sullivan Esq., Gen. Dearborn, Amos Lawrence Esq. 
and Dr. Warren. 

In July the foundation was finished. This part of the struc- 
ture is twelve feet deep, fifty feet square at the bottom, laid in 
lime with greatest care, and contains more than 1300 tons of 
stone and more than 30,000 feet of rough dressing. 

In September 1828 the monument had been raised fourteen 
courses, nearly forty feet, and there was material on the spot 
sufficient to carry it eighteen feet higher. The Association had 
expended all their funds, and 1600 dollars had been borrowed 
of the Suffolk Bank on liberal terms, on the joint and several 
note of Messrs. Lawrence, Sullivan, Dearborn, Warren, and 
Perkins, the Building Committee, on the pledge of the land 
owned by the Association (reserving the square around the 
Monument.) A few days after, the 'additional sum of 5000 
dollars, payable on demand, was borrowed of the same Bank on 
the joint and several note of the same gentlemen, and in Jan. 
1829 another sum of 1400 dollars was borrowed in the same 
way. At tliis last date, it was voted, that as the Building 
Committee had gone to the full extent of the disposable property 
of the Association and as far as public opinion would require of 
them, all work at Quincy or elsewhere, attended with any 
expense to the Association, should be wholly suspended. Mr. 
Willard was discharged from the service of the Association 
with such expression of respect and regard as were due to his 
merits as an architect and his spirit as a man. Thus it appears, 
that at the time of this suspension of the work the Association 



20 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

was indebted to the amount of 23000 dollars, for which five 
individuals were personally responsible. Unless measures were 
soon adopted to procure funds by subscription, or in some other 
way, the individuals thus exposed had no other means of relief 
than the sale of the land owned by the Association. 

EMBARRASSMENTS &c 

We have arrived at a period in the history of the monument, 
which it is painful to review. Much labor, of which the public 
knew nothing, had been ,performed by the Directors and es- 
pecially by the Committees under their direction, as the pre- 
ceding statements will show. But the severest struggles and 
trials were to come, which, if foreseen at the outset, might 
have caused the most steadfast friends of the enterprise to 
shrink from the undertaking. It was scarcely to be expected, 
that so great a work could be accomplished by private means 
without a severe struggle ; and while many suffered serious 
mortification at the delays and embarrassments experienced 
during the ten years in which it was almost entirely suspended, 
the world at large will accord the highest praise to the gener- 
ation which at length by private energy completed it according 
to the original scheme. The few who exhibited unwearied 
perseverance amidst much discouragement are worthy of re- 
membrance as lasting as the structure which their sacrifices 
contributed to rear. In truth had it not been for theenergy 
and devotion of the few referred to, we cannot see, what 
would have prevented a failure which would have been an 
abiding mortification and a reproach. 

It was supposed by many, that the sum originally obtained 
for the Monument was greater than it really was, and that it 
had been injudiciously expended. The records of the Standing 
and the Building Committees, which during the period of their 



BTINKER HILL MONUMENT. 21 

holding office, from July 1824 to June 1830, had more than 
fifty formal meetings, occurring almost weekly in the most 
urgent stages of the work, at which all the members were 
present with remarkable punctuality, will show, that no public 
work has received more constant or faithful supervision. These 
gentlemen bestowed their time and labors gratuitously and 
besides were liberal donors. A statement, however, published 
in 1830 by the Association, as also one published, after the 
monument was completed, by the Architect and Superintendent 
Mr. Willard, which for its clearness and thoroughness reflects 
great credit on the science and abihty of the author, viewed in 
connection with the details given in the preceding pages, will 
correct the misapprehension just referred to. 

The amount of subscriptions to August 1830, together Avith 
the grant of the State ($6000) Avas in round numbers $Q5 , 
000. About $23,000 was paid for the fifteen acres of land ; 
the expenses of the occasion when the corner stone was laid, 
and for books, engravings, plans &c. increased this amount to 
more than $80,000. If to these items be added the cost of 
hoisting and quarrying apparatus, indispensable in the prosecu- 
tion of such a work, there was left scarcely more than $30,000 
'for the building of the monument, the estimated cost of which 
at the outset was $100,000, exclusive of the land. At the 
time of suspension, then, the forty feet which had been erected 
had cost $53,000 ; but taking into view the amovmt of materials 
then on the ground and the amount already quarried, the work 
was computed to be two thirds completed : so that the prospect 
was fair, that the whole expense of the monument would fall 
within the original estimate. The statement of the architect^ 
before referred to, shows, that, had no delays occurred, it would 
have fallen considerably unthln that estimate. When we reflect, 
that nothing is more common than for stone structures to exceed 

estimates, the preceding statement, drawn from, the accounts of 
D 



22 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

the Bailding Committee and of the architect, make it plain, 
that there could not have been rash or unwarranted expendi- 
ture. The details furnished by the able and thorough exposition 
of Mr. Willard, Tvhich explain in the most satisfactory manner 
the methods employed in the work both at the quarry and at 
the obelisk, and also compare the actual cost of the work with 
the market prices for the same sort of work at the time and 
similar works elsewhere, may justify the assertion, that the 
monument on Bunker Hill is the cheapest work of the kind of 
modern times. 

Amono- various expedients to relieve the embarrassments of 
the Association and to further the execution of the enterprise 
the following alone are worthy of notice. A committee of 
twenty was appointed by the Directors when the work was 
suspended, to devise some method of relief. — A sale of a 
portion of the land, divided into building lots, was urged by 
some, and strenuously opposed by others who were anxious to 
preserve the Battle Field from all incumbrance and occupancy 
forever, as an additional memorial of the great event commem- 
orated. — Again in November 1829 a vote was passed in the 
Building Committee to recommend to the Directors to petition 
the Legislature for a Lottery, in order to raise funds for 
liquidating the debt for which the members of the Building 
Committee were personally liable, and to complete the monu- 
inent. — Moreover, in January 1830, a proposition was received 
from Mrs. S. J. Hale to raise the requisite funds by an appeal 
to the ladies of New England, which was gratefully acknowl- 
edged and accepted. 

' These measures were without effect. The Committee of 
twenty early in 1829 prepared an address to the Public with 
the form of a subscription, but in consequence of the commer- 
cial depression then existing, it was deemed inexpedient to 
circulate it. The scheme of a Lottery was adopted by the 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 23 

Directors, not\Yithstanding strenuous opposition of some of the 
Board, and a petition was introduced into the Legislature, but, 
to the great satisfaction of many, a passage was refused. The 
efforts of the Ladies resulted in the contribution of less than 
^2000 to the funds of the Association. During these efforts 
earnest and eloquent appeals were made from time to time in 
Newspapers, which, if they excited attention, failed to produce 
a decisive movement. 

The only remaining expedient for relief of the Association 
and the completion of the work, which in its unfinished state 
was unsightly and a constant reproach to the public spirit and 
patriotism of the community, was the sale of a large part of 
the land owned by the Association on the summit and sides of 
the Hill. The earliest, most constant and efficient friends of 
the project resisted to the last the sacrifice of a portion of the 
battle-field which they were anxious to preserve, as an open 
area which would be invaluable in future years in the midst of 
a dense population, and yet more, in order to perpetuate the 
identity of a spot celebrated as the theatre of a most moment- 
ous event of modern history. The views of these gentlemen 
were presented with great force in an appeal to the public 
prepared by Hon. Edward Everett in the summer of 1831, the 
tone and argument of which may be seen from the following 
extracts. 

After urging that the proposed sale of the land would not 
yield any thing that could be applied to the comijletlon of the 
monument, two considerations are presented adverse to cutting 
up the field into house lots and covering it with buildings. 

The first is the desirableness of the open area which it would • 
afford in the midst of a large and rapidly increasing population. 
" The open summit and sides of Banker Hill Avill then be to 
this part of the population, what Boston Common now is to the 
community generally, and in particular to the immediate neigh- 



24 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

borliood of that delightful spot. In natural advantages of all 
'kinds, Bunker Hill is equal to the Common — in command of 
prospect, superior. Nothing but a few trees are wanting to 
make it as attractive a spot, merely as a promenade, as any in 
the world. Suppose these trees to be planted and the noble 
monument to be completed, — is there an individual in the 
community, ^Yho, on the mere score of beauty, convenience of 
exercise, healthful recreation, and enjoyment of prospect, would 
endure the thought of cutting up such a spot in the heart of a 
crowded population into lots, and covering it with houses and 
the buildings connected with them? Is there a citizen of 
Boston, who would tolerate the idea of thus destroying the 
CoMMOX, supposing it could be legally done ?" 

" But we must confess, that these are not our strongest 
reasons, against selling Bunker Hill. Such a project is strong- 
ly forbidden by all the considerations, which make this spot 
dear to the patriotic heart. The great object of the Bunker 
Hill Monument Association was to preserve the Hill and to 
perpetuate its venerable features. It Avas stated in the first 
address of the Directors to the public, that it was their object, 
if possible, to rescue that field from the ploughshare. It was 
intended, from the first, to preserve the scene of the ever mem- 
orable sacrifice of the 17th June, 1775, free of all objects 
alien from its character ; and sacred from every use, uncon- 
genial with the feeling, which must be excited in the hearts of 
all who visit its holy soil. To what purpose will it have been 
rescued from the ploughshare, if it is to be surrendered to the 
shovel and the spade ? What Avould have been said of the 
citizens of Athens, in the flourishing periods of the Republic, 
if, for the purpose of raising an inconsiderable sum of money, 
they had cut up the plain of Marathon, into house-lots ? The 
person who would go about to sell Boston Common, would as it 
is, be held in d-etestation. But suppose, in addition to its present 



BUNKKR HILL MONUMENT. 25 

hold on the affections of the people, it were endeared to them 
as the scene of the first great struggle of the revolution ; and it 
were proposed not merely, that the beautiful sod which covers 
it, but the ashes of brave and patriotic men, restino- beneath, 
should be surrendered to the pick-axe ; — should be shoveled 
away and carted off, — would not the man who should under 
these circumstances insist on such a project, be regarded as an 
object of abhorrence ? 

When our fellow citizens, from a distance, shall come to 
explore the scene of the action, on which so much depended 
for the country and the world, and shall find it covered with 
brick buildings, its character changed, its identity destroyed, 
how will they exclaim against the want of patriotism in those 
who could permit such a violation ! In vain will our children 
attempt to retrace the vestiges of this momentous event ; to 
mark on the consecrated soil, the successive steps of the battle. 
Where, they will inquire, was the first position of the patriots ? 
In what direction toward the scene of action did the British 
forces cross the river ; and at what point did they strike the 
hill ? Show us, they will say, the field, over which they 
advanced to attack the breastwork; and on which they received 
that first deadly fire, which taught them, that patriotism could 
supply the place of discipline, that the conquest of a people 
was not to be effected by mercenary legions, nor the love of 
country to quail beneath the terrors of a fierce soldiery ? 
Where, they will ask, was the rail fence, and the connecting 
lines, — and the shore, where the British light infantry marched 
to out-flank the patriots, and were destroyed by a scattered fire 
from behind rocks and banks of earth ? On which side did 
that weak column advance, which finally bore down our ex- 
hausted forces, and compelled them slowly, reluctantly, and 
Avith sullen obstinancy, to leave the redoubt, heaped with the 
killed and dying, and flowing with blood ? Where stood the 



26 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

brave Prescott to superintend the labors of his little band, and 
watch the first rays of that eventful day, -which was to bring on 
him the power of a British army ? Where rode the gallant 
PuTMAN, fearlessly exposing himself to the fire of a thousand 
muskets ; at one time restraining, and then urging on the ardor 
of his courageous, but inexperienced countrymen ? Where is 
the spot on which the illustrious Warren, the all-glorious 
volunteer of the day, ever the first where danger Avas to be 
encountered, the last where death was to be escaped, — where is 
the spot on which the martyr fell ? Is this the field — are these 
the spots — are these the vestiges which we propose to obliterate 
and destroy ?" 

This appeal failed of its object, perhaps, as often happens in 
matters which do not touch individual interest, from neglect in 
following up the impulse, which it gave, by prompt and ener- 
getic measures. The causes of inaction or of delay need not 
be specified, even if it could be done with accuracy. There 
v/ere however individuals who were ready, in the failure of 
other resources, to assume the responsibility of the work ; as 
the writer feels justified in recording on the evidence of one of 
the individuals referred to, who was intimately acquainted with 
all the proceedings and actively participated in them. 

To test the public sentiment one of the individuals* referred 

*Tlie lale Amos Lawrence, Esq., whose lamented decease since the 
manuscript was prepared for the press renders unnecessary any deUcacy in 
pubUshing his name. His personal interest and efforts in behalf of the 
enterprise are material facts in its history, of which his characteristic energy 
and the ample resources witli which Providence had crowned his exertions in 
mercantile life, added to distinguished munificence, and a noble patriotic 
spirit, enablf.'d him to be an efficient promoter. It is now proper to record 
farther what the writer has learned from a private memorandum which he 
has been permitted to use, that Mr. Lawrence made certain provisions by 
will as early as December, 1830, with a view to securing tlie battle-field ^ 
liquidating the debt of the Association, and completing the Monument. 
These provisions were superseded by another will executed April 1, 1833. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 27 

to, proposed, Sept. 1831, in a letter addressed to one of the 
earliest friends of the project. Dr. Warren, to subscribe $5000, 
on condition, that $50,000 should be raised within a year. The 
following passage in the letter will show the strength of feeling, 
cherished by the most zealous friends of the enterprise in its 
broadest aspects, on the subject of the sale of the land, " I 
think it inexpedient to allude to the sale of the land at Bunker 
Hill as a resource for paying the debt, except in a case of 
extreme necessity ; and at this time I should personally sooner 
vote to sell ten acres of the Common in front of my house to 
pay the city debt, (of Boston,) than vote to sell the ten acres 
on Bunker Hill, until it shall appear that our citizens will not 
contribute the means of saving it." No movement folloAved 
this proposition. The same offer was renewed, by the same 
individual, June 1832, just before the Annual Meeting of the 
Association, in a letter to another gentleman, in which he 
pressed with great urgency the scheme of a subscription to be 
set on foot by the Association to obtain the necessary means for 
completing the Monument and preserving the land. The gen- 
after his health had failed so as to forbid active participation in the affairs of 
business, an extract from which will show the views of the Testator. " I 
am of opinion that the land owned by the Bunker Hill Monument Associa- 
tion in Charles'.own will be of great value to posterity, if left as public 
ground. The spot is the most interesting in the country ; and it seems to me, 
it is calculated to impress the feelings of those who come after us with grat- 
itude to the people of this generation, if we preserve it for them. The whole 
field contains about fifteen acres ; and in the hope of preserving it entire, 
either as the property of the State, of this city, or of any other competent 
body, and with the further view of ensuring the completion of the monu- 
ment, which now stands as a reproach to us, I have set apart a larger share of 
my property than would be necessary, had not the subject been presented to 
the public in such a manner as to discourage future attempts at raising the 
necessary funds by voluntary contributions." The amount thus devised for 
the Monument, in case that amount should not be raised in other ways, was 
$50,000. 



28 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

tleman thus addressed acted ; a movement was commenced, but 
fell through from want of some one or some few, it may be, to 
urge it forward. Again, in April 1833, when the commercial 
prosperity peculiarly favored such an effort, a note was addressed 
by the same gentleman to Hon. S. T. Armstrong, Hon. Charles 
"Wells, J. T. Buckingham and J. P. Thorndike, Esqrs. members 
of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, proposing 
to that Association to attempt the raising by an appeal to the 
public of $50,000, to be paid or secured within three months, 
for completing the Monument and preserving the field, and 
accompanying the proposal with the offer of five thousand dol- 
lars, towards the amount or ten per cent on any less sum that 
might be raised — and the same sum, as a donation for the uses 
of the Charitable Mechanic Association. A public meeting in 
consequence of this proposal was called by this association to 
be held in Faneuil Hall, IMay 28, 1833, which was numerously 
attended and was addressed by Hon. Edward Everett among 
others, in one of his happiest efforts, as it was regarded at the 
time. His speech on that occasion was widely circulated 
through the press and forms an important part of the History 
of the Monument. It may be found in the recent edition of 
his works, vol. 1, page 354. 

The meeting at Faneuil Hall, and especially the speech of 
Mr. Everett, was regarded as deciding the matter. Multitudes 
went their way under the excitement of that occasion, exclaim- 
ing, that the Monument was finished and the land saved. But 
this effort failed through want of some individual or individuals 
of high character and influence who Avould undertake to press 
and pursue the object in the freshness of the impulse which had 
been imparted. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 29 

RESUMPTION OF THE WORK. 

Enough however was done through the instrumentahty of 
the Mechanic Association to justify, it was thought, a resump- 
tion of the work in the following year. The Monument Asso- 
ciation, May 5, 1834, empowered and requested the Mechanic 
Association to apply the moneys collected by them to the work 
of the obelisk " by raising the same to the elevation of 159 
feet, 6 inches." It was also voted, that when the obelisk had 
reached that height, it should be considered as comjileted. At 
the same meeting a committee reported in favor of offering for 
sale the land owned by the Corporation, reserving the square 
now enclosed, in order to liquidate the debt of the Association. 

This debt was contracted irf the prosecution of the work, the 
Building Committee having borrowed money of one of the Boston 
Banks, for which they made themselves individually responsible. 
The Bank had been extremely liberal ; but payment could be 
no longer delayed. The only security, which these gentlemen 
had, was a mortgage of the land in question ; and the sacrifice, 
against which they had themselves struggled with great earnest- 
ness and perseverance, as preceding statements show, seemed 
inevitable. 

The Monument Association voted, June 17, 1834, to offer 
the land for sale. The ten acres were divided into fifty shares 
at five hundred dollars each, double the market value, and 
were all taken and paid for by friends to the enterprise, with 
the provision, that the Association might redeem the land with- 
in a certain period, and in the hope that the field would be 
secured to the public. Thus was the Association relieved of its 
debt. One more effort to preserve the land, was made by a 
large proprietor* in the ownership, who proposed to the remaining 

* Amos Lawrence, Esq. 

E 



30 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

proprietors to take their shares at a certain value, and to trans- 
fer the land, thus conveyed, to the Monument Association, or 
to the State, or to any competent body, to he kept open forever. 
The proposal was not acceded to ; and it having become evident, 
that the pubhc would not prevent the sacrifice, the matter was 
left to take its course. The Association did not redeem the 
land ; soon after it was offered for public sale, and was lost to 
the monument beyond recovery. 

Through the instrumentality of the Mechanic Association 
nearly $20,000 were collected. To this sum was added by 
vote of the Monument Association the Ladies Fund, then 
amounting to nearly $3000 ; and the whole, excepting a 
balance of about $800, was expended on the obelisk under 
direction of a Building Committee of the Mechanic Association 
consisting of Hon. Charles Wells, George Darracott, Jonathan 
Whitney, Charles Leighton and John P. Thorndike Esqrs. 
This Committee and the Association under which they acted 
deserve credit for faithfulness and assiduity in the discharge of 
a patriotic duty. The services of Mr, Willard, as Superintend- 
ent, were again secured ; who was assisted by Mr. James S. 
Savage, as before. Mr. Charles Pratt was the master mason. 
By this effort the obehsk was raised to the height of eighty feet. 
At this point the work was again abandoned in consequence of 
the failure of funds. 

COMPLETION OF THE MONUMENT. 

Various schemes were again proposed to secure the means 
for completing the work. Public appeals were made in the 
newspapers, but nothing effectual was done during the succeed- 
ing four years to encourage the friends of the enterprise. At 
length early in 1839, a new proposal was made to the Mechanic 
Association by Amos Lawrence Esq., whose name may properly 
be mentioned as the matter became one of public notoriety. 



BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 31 

Having learned that this Association contemplated a renewed 
effort, he addressed a note to George Darracott Esq., President 
of the Mechanic Association, in which after expressing regret, 
that his feeble and precarious health would not permit him to 
spend time in making personal application to the citizens of 
Boston, he adds : " The next best thing I can do is to give 
money. The Monument Association owe a debt. To discharge 
the debt, finish the monument, surround it with a handsome 
iron fence and otherwise ornament the ground as it deserves, 
will require |40,000 more than it now has. If the Bunker 
Hill Monument Association will collect $30,000 dollars the 
present year and pay off the debt, I will give to the Charitable 
Mechanic Association $10,000 to enable it to complete the 
work in a manner that our fathers would have done, had they 
been here to direct it." Judah Touro of New Orleans, form- 
erly a citizen of Boston, made a donation of the same amount. 
Thus encouraged the Mechanic Association proposed their sub- 
scription, but as it was thought inexpedient to press it, nothing 
further was done. 

In the Annual Report of the Monument Association, June 
1840, the doubt was expressed, whether the present generation 
would witness the completion of the Monument. This expres- 
sion of the Report being repeated within a few days in a 
" sewing circle" of Boston, several ladies proposed the idea of 
a Fair in behalf of the object. The suggestion at once received 
favor ; before the end of the month the formal sanction of the 
Board of Directors of the Monument Association was given to 
the new project and measures were taken immediately in 
furtherance of it. A circular recommending the plan was 
issued by a committee of the Directors, and appeals in its 
behalf were made through the public press. In the principal 
towns of New England, and indeed throughout the land, ladies 
were speedily busied in preparation of articles for the Fair. 



32 BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 

Many towns sent contributions of money. The Fair was held 
in Quincy Hall, Boston, Sept. 1840, and continued seven days, 
exclusively under the direction of the ladies, although with the 
hearty cooperation and efficient aid of gentlemen who had, from 
the first, labored in behalf of the object. The Fair was admi- 
rably conducted. Every effort was made to prevent the com- 
mon abuses of such methods of raising funds. Articles offered 
for sale were required to be good of their kind, and to be held at 
fair prices. Nothing was permitted to be done to extort money ; ■ 
no raffles or drawing by chances Avas allowed. The strictest 
decorum was maintained. — The project was successful beyond 
expectation. Thousands from city and country flocked to the 
scene ; and the abundance, variety, and beauty of the articles 
exhibited, as well as the arrangements, were creditable in the 
highest degree to the industry, taste, skill, and spirit of the 
Ladies of New England. 

The proceeds of the Fair, $30,000, with the donation of 
Messrs. Lawrence and Touro of $10,000 each, together with 
more than $5000 from other sources, afforded the means of 
completing the Monument according to the original design. The 
vote of May 1834, that it should be regarded as finished when 
it had reached the height of 159 feet, was rescinded. Hon. 
Charles Wells, George Darracott, J. P. Thorndike and Charles 
Leighton Esqrs. were appointed a Building Committee by the 
Mechanic Association. In Nov. 1840 James S. Savage was 
contracted with to complete the obelisk according to the original 
design of the Architect, Solomon Willard, and under his super- 
intendence. In May 1841 work was resumed ; and at 6 o'clock 
on the morning of July 23, 1842, the last stone was raised in 
presence of the Officers of the Association, the American flag 
being waved from it during its ascent and under a salute from 
the Charlestown Artillery. The Monument now stands two 
hundred and twenty one feet high. 



BUNKER HILL MONUiVIENT. 33 

The writer ouglit now to state, that his object has not requir- 
ed him to record the names of individuals except so far as they 
were officially and immediately connected with the work. It is 
due however to several gentlemen whose names do not occur in 
the preceding history, or which are only mentioned incidentally 
on account of their official relation to the enterprise, tO' remark, 
that they expended much time and labor, of which the public 
know nothing, without any other reward then what is enjoyed 
by a consciousness of duty to a great and patriotic work faith- 
fully discharged. For example Hon. Nathaniel P. Russell 
rendered gratuitous service for twenty five years as the able 
and efficient Treasurer of the Association. The importance of 
his trust may be estimated from the fact, that more than 
$370,000 passed through his hands. 

The Celebration in honor of tlie completion of the monument, 
June 17, 1843, which was similar in its arrangements to that 
which welcomed the commencement of the work in 1825 and 
scarcely less imposing, when the same eminent man, whose 
discourse had contributed so much to give dignity and distinc- 
tion to the former occasion, was spared to crown by another of 
his matchless effi3rts the successful accomplishment of the 
enterprise, is tlie closing scene in the History of the Bunker 
Hill Monument * 

* Those who may be curious to know the details of the work on the 
Monument, the methods employed in quarrying, transporting and raising the 
stone, with the expense of tiie different experiments made during the progress 
of the work, will find their curiosity gratified by the Quarto Volume, " Plans 
and Sections of the obelisk on Bunker Hill tfec. by Solomon Willard, Boston 
1843." A more general statement may be found in a smaller volume; 
" Bunker Hill Battle and Monument, Charlestown, 1843 ;" and also in the 
account of the Monument near the close of the " History of the Siege of 
Boston," a valuable work from the hand of Richard Frothingham Jr. Esq , 
of Charlestown, published, Boston, 1849, which contains a summary of the 
receipts and expenditures on the work and an enumeration of the individuals 
whose services are specially acknowledged in the records of the Association. 



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